Shrubs with Fall Berries

Both deciduous and evergreen shrubs decorate the garden with colorful berries in fall, providing food for birds such as robins, woodpeckers, grosbeaks, cedar waxwings and thrushes. Some, such as seaberry, are edible for humans, as well. Most berried shrubs grow at least 6 feet tall, and many can be trained into small trees. Berries range from yellow to red to blue-black and are produced in fall, persisting into winter.

Deciduous Shrubs for Sun

Beautyberry (Callicarpa) produces clusters of violet berries in fall, which persist into winter. Callicarpa bodinieri Profusion is a vase-shaped shrub that grows 8 feet tall in sun or part sun. Dwarf varieties, such as Callicarpa dichotoma Amythest and Issai, grow to 4 feet. Both types are hardy to United States Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 6 and can be cut down to 18 inches in late winter.

Seaberry (Hippophae rhamnoides) grows 25 feet tall, producing orange berries with seven times the vitamin C of lemons. Seaberry, which grows in USDA hardiness zone 4 and above, needs a male pollinator plant to produce fruit on female plants. Amber Dawn and Baikal are dwarf female varieties, growing to 6 feet.

Evergreen Shrubs for Sun

Cotoneaster blooms in spring with small clusters of tiny pink flowers, followed by berries in fall. Cotoneaster franchetti grows 8 feet tall and has orange berries. Most other varieties have red, including the ground-cover kinds. The plants thrive in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 and above, and are evergreen in zones 7 and above.

Firethorn (pyracantha) is a spiny shrub hardy to USDA zone 6, which is often espaliered to show off its red-orange berries. It grows 12 to 15 feet tall, although dwarf varieties, such as Pyracantha Gnozam, reach 6 feet.

Deciduous Shrubs for Shade

The American cranberry bush (Viburnum trilobum) has maplelike leaves, white lacecap flowers and bears clusters of bright red berries in fall. It grows to 10 feet and is hardy to USDA zone 2 and above.

Serviceberry (Amelanchier) grows to 12 feet and displays beautiful orange fall color even in full shade. Its berries ripen from yellow to red to blue-black over summer and often persist into fall. It is hardy to USDA zone 4.

Evergreen Shrubs for Shade

Japanese laurel (Aucuba) sets large, bright red berries in late fall into winter. Hardy to USDA zone 4, its leathery foliage ranges from dark green to splashed with yellow. It grows to 10 feet.

Sweetbox (Sarcoccoca ruscifolia) is a standout shade plant that produces tiny, very fragrant white flowers in late winter. They are followed by red berries that turn black in fall. It grows 5 feet tall and is hardy to USDA zone 7.

References

• University of Illinois Extension: Autumn Berries on Shrubs
• Fine Gardening: 8 Trees and Shrubs with Showy Fall Fruit